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All Falls Down
All Falls Down is the fifth and final episode of Bonds. Plot The camera pans down from the peach-colored sky to a small hut in a rather deep canyon. Nearby, a human Caucasian male in a blue robe stands in front of a rock, poking it with a long spear-like object to obtain Amber Ogia. The greying hair on his head and face is long and unkempt and his left eye is covered by a dirty black eyepatch. His entire right arm seems to be considerably darker than the rest of his body, which indicates that it is prosthetic. On top of a mountain overlooking the canyon, a light green reptilian alien lies on the ground on his stomach and watches the man. He wears black briefs with a yellow belt, as well as spiked cuffs on his wrists and bracers on his legs. The alien stands up and jumps off the cliff, landing a few feet away in front of the man. Some dirt from the ground flies all over the place due to the impact, from which the man shields himself with his arms. When the dust settles, he shows no sign of shock at the sight of the alien before him. The alien speaks in a low and guttural voice. Alien: You are difficult to find. The man drops the spear-like object on the ground and puts his arms in the air. The alien crosses his arms, unamused. Alien: Not the reaction I was hoping for. Why aren't you trembling in fear or trying to put up a fight? Male: Why fight fate? I always knew this day would come. Now that it's here, well... (exhales) I'm relieved. I won't have to wake up every day wondering if it's my last. Alien: But I like it when they fight back. Gives me a thrill. Male: Sorry, but you're not getting that from me. Just do what you came here to do. Look, I'll even make it easier for you. Joining his hands at the back of his neck, he kneels on the ground. The alien sighs in disappointment. Alien: Unfortunately for both of us, whoever wants you needs you alive if I'm to be paid handsomely. Seriously, do you have any idea how much you're worth? The human stays silent. Alien: How 'bout a compromise? I need you alive, but there's nothing saying I can't rough you up a little. (smirks) Yeah, sounds like a fine idea to me. He cracks his knuckles and walks towards him. ---- Alan, Helen and Pierce stand around on the highest level of the hub, dressed in black armor as usual. Helen: They're late. They're never late. Alan: (yawns) Can I go back to bed now? Pierce: Not a chance. Alan: What's so important about this mission that we had to wake up so early? Pierce: That's why we're here. Helen: We've been here. Something's not right. Maybe I should go look for them. Just as she's about to head off, footsteps are heard. The kids walk to the stairs to see Servantis making his way up. Helen: Finally! They eagerly await further instructions as he reaches the top floor. Servantis: I have good or bad news, depending on your perspective. Today's mission has been postponed. Something came up that requires our undivided attention. Visibly curious, the kids look at each other. Helen: What happened? Servantis: I'm not at liberty to say, nor are you entitled to that information. Pierce: I think we're owed some kind of explanation, don't you think? Yesterday, you said the mission was important, and now you're postponing it? Servantis: Attempting to pry answers out of me will prove fruitless. annoyed: Come on- Servantis: Given how rarely something like this happens, I would suggest returning to your rooms to rest. Things will be back to normal tomorrow. He turns on his heel and walks down the stairs. Pierce waits until he's out of earshot, then speaks to his teammates. Pierce: You guys aren't seriously buying that, are you? Helen: Normally, I'd tell you not to look into things too much, but this is making me suspicious. It's never happened before. Whatever Mom and the others have their hands full with must really be something. ---- The scene changes to the meeting room in the headquarters. Unlike most other rooms, it has bluish black walls and a light grey floor. A large circular table with nine chairs is the only thing in the room. The three seats on the left side of the table are occupied by Magisters Arnux, Coronach and Chang, while Magisters Gorvan, Leander and Wheels, as well as an elderly human Caucasian male take up the four on the right. A female human-Aerophibian hybrid occupies one of the seats at the end, leaving one seat empty. Arnux: What should we do with Trystan? Leander: Why are we even having this discussion? We kill him, like we would anyone else. Chang: That much is obvious, but who's going to do it? Gorvan: Wouldn't it be better to wait for her before making any decisions? He eyes the empty seat. Chang: What for? She hardly comes around. Gorvan: Should we put it to a vote, then? Wheels: My problem, my responsibility. Gorvan: How poetic. Chang: I admit, I'm surprised he managed to survive this long. I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed. Caucasian Male: That's rich comin' from you, Chang. (chuckles) Most people would either be a vegetable or dead at your age. Chang: Don't test me, Phil. Phil opens his mouth to retaliate, but is interrupted. Coronach: (clears throat) Does anyone object to Jacelyn's decision? No one says a word. Coronach: Good. Meeting adjourned. We'll reconvene when the deed is done. Magister Wheels gets up to leave before everyone else, the door opening and closing as she exits the room. ---- Minutes later, she walks down a hallway in Rooter Headquarters with determination and heads for a room at the end. She enters to see the mysterious man from Revonnah, Trystan, sitting at a table. Half of his prosthetic arm seems to have been ripped out and his feet are bound by energy cuffs. The right side of his face is bruised, including his remaining good eye. Unfazed, Magister Wheels takes a seat opposite him. For a few seconds, neither person says anything, keeping their cool. The room is the smallest in the headquarters, just big enough to fit the table. Wheels: Do you regret any of it? Trystan speaks in a low tone, as if it physically hurts. Trystan: The only thing I regret is not giving myself up. (coughs) I was so paranoid, running from planet to planet to hide. Look where it got me. He wistfully looks at what's left of his prosthetic arm. Wheels: It would've saved us both a lot of trouble. Trystan: Yeah, I heard you put quite the bounty on me. Wheels: And yet, by some... miracle, you managed to escape our clutches for about a decade. Trystan: Now that you've got me, what are you waiting for? Gone soft? Magister Wheels scoffs as a sinister smile forms on her face. Wheels: After all you made us go through, I think I deserve to have my fun. Trystan's frowns, avoiding eye contact with her for the first time since she entered. Trystan: So, seducing me, marrying me, getting me to join the Plumbers- Was it all just to get me to join your cult? Wheels: You would've made a valuable member of the team. Trystan: Don't pull that card. I admit I'm no angel, but I would never stoop to your level. You got our friends killed! You orphaned two children! Do you even feel sorry?! Wheels: Not one bit. Trystan: You're sick. Wheels: (shrugs) If it helps you rest in peace... ---- The Amalgam Kids sit on the ground in Pierce's room, which is identical to Alan's as shown two episodes ago. Pierce: Okay, let me go over the plan. We get into the elevator, destroy the security camera. Alan and I will go to sub-level 2. Helen: I'll go to sub-level 3 and snoop around for clues. (pauses) You do realize that as soon as we destroy the security camera, whoever's in the security room will know something's up, right? Pierce: That's the point. I want to lure them out. Helen: Can't we do this more stealthily? Pierce: We won't be able to access the lower floors without destroying the camera. Helen: You're practically begging to get caught. Pierce: I'm tired of being kept in the dark. They're hiding something and it's time for us to go on the offensive. If we have to fight them, we will. Helen: I'm as curious as you are, but what if we find something we don't like? There's a reason the sub-levels are off-limits to us. Alan: 'Cause there's something they don't want us to see. Maybe they don't think we're ready. Pierce: We've been training for a year. If they don't think we're ready now, we'll never be. He looks off to the side, sighs, then turns to his teammates. Pierce: I know there's no coming back from this, so if you guys have cold feet, I'll find a way to do this alone. Helen: I'm 50-50 on the plan, but I can't sit this out and let something happen to you. Alan: Yeah! If we're going down, we're going down together! He pumps his fist in the air. Helen: That's depressing and uplifting at the same time. Let's do this! The kids rise from the ground and walk out the door all the way to the elevator at the end of the hallway. Pierce presses the 'v' button. The doors open and they enter. When the doors close, the quills on Pierce's arms extend and he fires them at the security camera positioned above them. ---- Servantis sits in the security room, with dozens of screens before him showing real-time footage of almost every room in the facility, in addition to the elevator. He watches intently as the kids walk out of Pierce's room and into the elevator, his eyes shifting focus from one screen to the next. He sees Pierce shoot his quills at the camera in the elevator, which causes the screen to turn black. His hand hovers over a large red button on the control panel as he contemplates pressing it. Ultimately, he decides against it and runs out of the room instead to see Alan and Pierce exiting the elevator. There is a gap of several feet between the kids and Servantis. Servantis: Children, you shouldn't be here. Alan: That's exactly why we're here. Pierce: What are you hiding? Servantis: Like I said, I cannot divulge that information. Go back to your rooms and we can pretend this never happened. Pierce: We came for answers and we're not leaving until we get them. We don't want to fight you. Servantis: I think we all know you came here expecting a fight. Pierce: Then prove us wrong! Just tell us why you called off the mission! Servantis: I don't want to hurt you. Pierce: Can you hurt us? You've trained us for over a year, but we never actually got to practice our skills on you. Servantis: If you're attempting to get a rise out of me, it won't work. Pierce opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by the elevator dinging. Magisters Arnux and Gorvan step out. While Magister Arnux's helmet hides his expression, Magister Gorvan is furious. Gorvan: I'm going to give you 10 seconds to explain yourselves. Alan and Pierce freeze, paralyzed with fear. Servantis shakes his head in sympathy. Servantis: This could have been avoided. Gorvan: That goes for you, too. Why didn't you activate the alarm? Servantis: There was no need for that. They were just about to leave. Gorvan: They shouldn't have been here in the first place! Magister Arnux puts a hand on his shoulder. Arnux: We have bigger fish to fry. Gorvan: What else could we possibly have to... He trails off, his eyes widening then quickly narrowing. Gorvan: Where's Helen? ---- Trystan: What exactly are you keeping me here for? Wheels: It's eating at you, isn't it? Not knowing how you long you have? Wondering what your last thought will be? Wishing to just get this over with? Trystan does not dignify her statement with a response. Annoyed, Magister Wheels furrows her brow. The camera moves outside the room to show Helen leaning against the wall, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. She is only barely able to make out what they're saying due to the wall muffling their voices. Wheels: If you have any last words- Trystan: I've already said everything I wanted to say. If you're expecting me to lash out at you for ruining my life or beg you to spare me, you can stay disappointed. I'm not going to let you have the last laugh. An alarm blares through the speakers of the headquarters, startling Helen. Magister Gorvan's voice comes through. Gorvan: Attention. Helen is on one of the sub-levels. Capturing her is priority number one, or we run the risk of ruining our operation. Thinking instinctively, Helen runs into the interrogation room, sweeps Trystan off his feet and runs away all before Magister Wheels has the time to react. Gorvan: She has Trystan! I repeat, she has Trystan! Magister Gorvan walks out of the security room to address Alan and Pierce. Pierce: Don't you lay a finger on her! Gorvan: You children forget your place. You decided to break the rules, you need to deal with the consequences of your actions. Pierce: At least we got what we came for. Alan: Uh, Pierce, what do you mean? We got caught. Pierce turns to him. Pierce: He's not acting like nothing's wrong! "Ruining our operation"? That Trystan guy? The others are doing something right now that they don't want us to see, that Helen might've already stopped! Most of all, we know for sure that all those missions we went on? They weren't for the greater good. We were doing their bidding. We were soldiers. The Magisters exchange a look, with Magister Arnux shrugging. Snarling, Magister Gorvan walks towards Pierce and bends to look him in the eye. Gorvan: Listen very carefully. You're going to go back to your rooms and you're going to sit there until we catch Helen, at which point we will dole out appropriate punishments for your actions. Pierce: We don't have to listen to you. Gorvan: You seem to think you have a choice. He takes Pierce by the neck. He flails his legs, struggling to escape. Arnux: Gorvan! Against his better judgement, Magister Gorvan drops Pierce on the ground and approaches Magister Arnux. Arnux: You checked the cameras, right? Where are they? Gorvan: I couldn't see her. She's either too fast or she's hiding from the cameras. Servantis, take the boys to their rooms and make sure they stay there. Pierce: We're not going anywh- Servantis' head plates open, and he fires a small jolt of electricity at Pierce, then Alan, causing them to fall to the floor unconscious. He gives the Magisters a nod. Arnux: We'll have to find her on foot. He and Magister Gorvan head for the elevator, entering it. Servantis watches as the elevator doors close, then turns around and runs down the hall, leaving the boys on the ground. Helen runs into her room with Trystan in her arms, setting him down on the bed. Even though the lights in the room are switched off, we can see that the room looks identical to Alan and Pierce's rooms. Helen stands a few feet away from the bed, looking at him from top to bottom. She keeps her voice low. Helen: Who did that to you? Trystan laughs wryly. Trystan: You're going to have to be more specific. Helen: Let me rephrase that. Are you okay? Trystan: No, but thanks for asking. Why'd you save me? Helen: I wasn't really looking for you specifically. I was looking for something, but I'm not sure what. I guess it's a good thing I found you. What were you doing there, anyway? What did you do to Mom? Trystan: It's a long st- Wait, did you just say "Mom"? Helen reluctantly nods. Trystan blinks, taking some time to process things, then massages his temples. Trystan: Oh, no. Helen: Do you know her? Trystan: We were married. Trystan stops massaging his temples, looking up to face Helen. Helen: You're the guy who ran away? Trystan: That's a major oversimplification. Helen: Then un-oversimplify it for me. Trystan: Your name's Helen, right? And you have a brother named Pierce? Helen: I'm creeped out that you know that. Trystan: No, look, it's... (sighs) How much did Jacelyn tell you about me? Helen: Me not knowing your name should answer that. Trystan: What about everything else? What about your real parents? Helen frowns. Helen: Died in a car accident. Trystan: (mumbles) Of course they did. (pauses) There's no easy way to say this, but what happened to your parents wasn't an accident. Helen: How do you know that? Trystan: You might want to sit down first. Noticing a distinct lack of chairs in the room, Helen sits on the ground. Trystan: The six of us were Plumbers. Noteworthy Events Major Events Character Debuts *Trystan Wheels *Disease *Magister Arnux *Phil Billings *Swift Minor Events Characters *Servantis *Adriel Albright *Trystan Wheels *Amalgam Kids **Alan Albright **Helen Wheels **Pierce Wheels Villains *Disease (first appearance) *Rooters **Magister Arnux (first appearance) **Magister Coronach **Magister Gorvan **Magister Jacelyn Wheels **Magister Karter Chang **Magister Leander **Phil Billings (first appearance) **Swift (first appearance) Allusions *The episode is named after the song of the same name by Alan Walker, featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals. Trivia *The original idea for the episode was a little different. However, the climax and ending were mostly kept the same, as they were planned out before the series was even a series. **It featured Judge Domstol as the Rooters' target. The Amalgam Kids would have been sent to his very secure home on Encephalonus IV to capture him. After taking some time to bust the door down and entering the building, the kids would have been exposed to a gas that knocked them out and made them hallucinate a perfect world. A quarter of the episode was finished at this point, but it was reworked. **Despite not being written, several details from later in the episode were fleshed out, namely: ***Although Alan's memories were altered to make him forget his parents, he would have seen them in perfect detail in his hallucination. This is because his memories were buried very deep within his subconscious, not erased even though it is colloquially referred to as such. In contrast, Helen and Pierce would have seen their real parents, but they would have appeared unclear, as Helen and Pierce truly have no memory of them. ***The unconscious Amalgam Kids would have been taken back to Rooter Headquarters, with Phil, Swift, Magister Gorvan and Magister Leander going to Encephalonus IV to capture Domstol. It would have later been revealed that Domstol was never on Encephalonus IV to begin with. Deefus Veeblepister, unable to launch his acting career, was hired to pose as Domstol, while the real Domstol was actually living on a remote planet elsewhere. **Ulti replayed the fourth level of Vilgax Attacks (which featured Encephalonus IV) to get ideas on how to portray the planet in the episode.